Wheeled truck for roving



Nov. 19, 1957 J. G. FISHER 2,813,642

WHEELED TRUCK FOR ROVING Filed April 22, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. G. FISHER WHEELED TRUCK FOR Rovms Nov. 19, 1957 Filed April 22, 1954 2,813,642 Patented Nov. 19, 1957 ice WHEELED TRUCK FORRGVING James Glenn Fisher, HartwelLGa.

Application April 22, 1954, Serial No. 424380 6 Claims. (Cl. 214-84) The present invention relates to a wheeled truck for use in textile plants, and, more particularly :has reference to a truck for the transfer of roving from fly frames in fiber containers to the spinning room where the spinners creel the roving directly from the individual fiber containers thereby obviating the necessity of laying-up and storing roving on the tops of the spinning frame .creels. The invention further comprehends the use of a smaller truck in the spinning room for carrying at leasttone fiber container from which the operator may directly .creel the frames, and a special storage rack on each spinning frame.

In most spinning plants, Women employees are used for performing the majority of the operations, and, with the trucks and auxiliary equipment currently in vogue, it is a laborious job for women to load and unload the trucks due to the weight of the fiber containers. Numerous rest periods are required for the employees thus slowing down the normal operation of the plant, and, in addition, the employees are subject to injury in handling the containers.

Accordingly, an important object of the invention is to provide equipment of the character set forth which will overcome the above and other objectionable features now present in the art.

A further object of the invention is to provide equipment for handling the roving containers wherein each piece of the equipment is provided with a plurality of rollers defining the container supporting surface thereby permitting the operator to place the containers .on, and remove the containers from the equipment with little effort thereby speeding up the plant operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for handling roving which eliminates the storage thereof on frame creel tops.

And yet another object of the invention is to provide equipment of the type set forth which is relatively simple in structural detail, positive and efficient in operation, and which can be manufactured at a low cost.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of the carrier unit.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the unit shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of the unit shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a modified truck.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the truck shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an end view of a stationary support, and Figure 7 is a plan view of the support illustrated in Figure 6.

The invention consists essentially of three units, a carrier unit 10, a battery buggy 11, and, a stationary rack or support 12. The unit 10 supports a plurality of fiber containers, preferably four in number for moving the roving from the fly frame to the spinning room for immediate use or storage. The battery buggy is employed for moving the individual boxes of roving from the carrier unit onto the buggy so that the frame may be directly creeled from the containers. The stationary rack 12 is attached to each spinning frame, and, the containers may be easily deposited thereon for storage and can be transferred to the battery buggy for use.

The carrier unit 10 comprises an undercarriage defined by a pair of spaced longitudinally extending angle irons 13 connected at the opposite ends thereof by transversely extending irons 14 in any convenient jfashion. Extending upwardly from each corner .of the rectangular frame formed by the irons 13 and 14 is a spacer 1'5 and the spacers at each end of the undercarriage are connected by transverse wall members 16. Side Walls 17 extend longitudinally of the undercarriage and is fixed at its ends to the transverse wall members 16.

A divider plate 13 extends from each wall member 16 at about the longitudinal center line of the truck in parallelism to the side plates 17 with each end of the plate 18 being secured to a transverse wall memberthereby dividing the truck into two sections of equal width. A plurality of rollers 19 are journalled at their ends to the side walls 17 and the wall 18, the rollers being equally spaced longitudinally of the structure from one transverse wall member 16 to the opposite member 16. The rollers preferably are of the type wherein a shaft extends therethrough, the ends of the shaft being fixed to the wall 17 and the plate 18 with a conventional ball bearing being inserted at each end of the roller.

It will be seen that all of the rollers of each section with the exception of roller 19A at the end of the truck fall in the same horizontal plane, the roller 19A being located in a somewhat higher horizontal plane to function as a stop for the containers.

A further stop 21} maybe provided at each end of the truck and comprises a pair of spaced vertical supports 21 extending from the transverse irons 14 to the transverse wall members 16 on opposite sides of the divider plate 18. Each support 21 is formed with a vertically extending groove 22 which slidably receives a stop plate 23. A coil spring 24 is attached at one end to the stop plate 23 and at the other end to the divider plate and functions to normally hold the stop plate in its upper position where the top edge thereof projects slightly above the transverse wall member 16 as shown in Figure 2. A horizontal step 25 is attached to the stop plate 23 near the lower end thereof, and, by the application of foot pressure to the step, the stop plate will be moved downwardly against the action of the spring 24 to a point below the transverse wall member '16 to enable the containers on either section to be moved off of the end of the truck.

While I prefer that the stop be provided at the end of the truck adjacent to the roller 19A, it is to be understood that the stop may be at either end or at both ends.

Also, it will be noted that the stop plate 23 is further provided with a downwardly extending hook 25 adjacent to the upper edge and the purpose thereof will later be more fully described.

In order to reinforce the undercarriage, a strut '26 extends laterally of the truck at each end thereof, and a caster wheel 27 is carried by each strut at a point approximately in alignement with the divider plate 18. A further strut 28 extends transversely of the undercarriage at the center of the truck, and, a caster wheel 29 is supported by the strut at each end thereof below the angle iron 13. The caster wheel 27 at the left end of the truck (Figure 2) and the wheels 29 are of the same diameter while the opposite caster wheel 27 is of slightly less diameter to give a tilting effect to the truck. However, in order to prevent this tilting effect, a floor engaging support 30 is provided at the end of the truck having the caster of lesser diameter. The support can be of suitable type, such as a barrel 31 attached to the transverse iron 14 and the transverse wall member 16 for receiving telescopically a foot portion 32. Normally the foot portion would be out of contact with the floor, and, by means of foot operated member 33 conveniently secured to the foot portion, the same can be moved downwardly to engage the floor thereby steadying the truck. After use, the foot portion 32 can be returned to its position within the barrel thereby clearing the floor.

In view of the load imposed upon the truck, I further reinforce the truck at the central zone by a plurality of braces 34 secured at their respective ends to the longitudinal irons 13 and the side walls 17.

The truck is of such dimensions that each roller section can accommodate two fiber containers, but, of course, it is within the scope of the invention to support a greater or lesser number of containers depending upon the problems involved in the particular plant.

By supporting the containers on rollers, the containers can be loaded on and removed fromthe carrier unit with ease and requires little effort on the part of the operator. Due to the stop arrangement, the containers cannot be accidently dislodged from the truck at the ends, and as the side plates extend a substantial distance above the rollers, there can be no appreciable movement of the containers laterally of the truck.

The battery buggy 11 comprises an undercarriage 35 of generally elliptical shape and a caster Wheel 36 is mounted at each end of the undercarriage. A pair of caster wheels 37 at substantially the mid point of each side of the undercarriage and, the casters 36 are of the same diameter whereas the caster Wheels 37 are of larger diameter in order to provide a tilting effect,

Vertical supports 38 are located near each end of the undercarriage, there being two supports at each end, and, framework 39 is suitably secured to the upper ends of the supports. The framework includes side walls 40 joined at one end by a guard wall 41 of the same height, and a handle 42 is fixed to the central zone of the guard rail for ease in moving the buggy. The opposite end of the buggy is open to permit the containers to be loaded and unloaded.

A series of equally spaced rollers 43 similar to the rollers 19 are journalled in the side walls 40, and, a bar section is also mounted in the side walls in proximity to the guard wall 41 for functioning as a stop for the containers. The roller 43 adjacent the open end of the buggy is disposed in a slightly higher horizontal plane than the rest of the rollers to act as a stop at the open end of the It will be seen that the free end of each of the sidethe rollers 19 of the carrier unit, and that the width of the buggy is the same as that of each roller section, or, approximately one-half the width of the carrier unit. Thus, when the buggy is rolled up to the carrier unit with the containers thereon, and, the stop plate is moved downwardly by the horizontal foot, the hook 25 on the plate will enter one of the sleeves 44, depending upon which roller section is in alinement with the buggy. When the hook engages the sleeve, the carrier unit and the buggy are secured together in alignment, and, the container may be pushed by the operator with ease over the rollers in the carrier unit unto the rollers of the buggy through the open end of the latter. When the container contacts the transverse pipe, forward movement is arrested, and the roller at the open end will prevent the container from leaving the buggy.

The buggy width dimensions are such that the buggy may be readily rolled in the passageways in the plant, and, the frames may be creeled directly from the container on the buggy.

The primary difference between the supporting rack and the buggy resides in the fact that the rack is not mobile, but is attached to the spinning frame. The rack includes a pair of spaced side walls 50 between which spaced rollers 51 of the same construction as the rollers 19 and 43 are journalled. The outermost rollers, or the rollers at each end are disposed in a slightly higher plane in order to form stops for the container, and the length of the rack is such as to hold one roving container.

At each end of the side walls, a supporting bracket 51 is fixed, and the bracket depends from the walls. A brace 52 extends from the outer side wall diagonally and is secured to each bracket 51 for strengthening the rack from front to rear. To reinforce the rack in the longitudinal direction, at least one brace 53 is fixed to the brace 52 and to the inner side wall. If required, further bracing means can be provided intermediate the inner and outer walls.

The brackets may be secured to the spinning frame by any suitable means which will permit the rack to be quickly removed from the frame head end Without delay on the part of the frame tender.

As was the case of the carrier unit and the battery buggy, the rollers 51 of the rack are at the same height as those of the other two units so that the buggy can be moved into alinement with one of the ends of the rack. Thus, the container can either be easily moved onto the rack from the buggy or from the rack onto the buggy due to the roller action of the respective devices. While at least the outermost roller at one end of each of the pieces 4 of equipment is somewhat higher than the other rollers, it

does not require much effort to move the container over such raised roller, and the roller ensures a positive stop for the container.

In the majority of plants, the carrier unit and the buggy will sufiice for most operations, but in those mills where special storage racks are located at the end of the spinning frame, the rack of this invention is employed. It will be readily appreciated that in each unit of equipment, the rollers upon which the container or containers rest are in the same horizontal plane thereby eliminating any lifting of the container on the part of the operator. The containers may bequickly moved from one unit to the other along the rollers thus reducing fatigue, and, the likelihood of injury to the operator. Furthermore, the equipment obviates the necessity of laying-up and storing the roving on the tops of the spinning frame creels.

While I have shown and described the several units as being made of metal parts, other material such as wood may be used. Similarly, the dimensions of the individual units may be varied, but, in any event, the roller arrangement will be the same in order that the rollers of the particular units in use will be in substantial alinement in the horizontal plane.

The present invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawings, but, may be modified or changed so long as such modifications or changes mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention what I claim as novel is as follows:

1. A truck for handling roving carrying containers, comprising a wheeled undercarriage, an elongate framework supported by the undercarriage, a plurality of rollers journalled in and extending transversely of the framework and spaced apart longitudinally of the framework and on which the container rests, one of the rollers at one end of the framework being in a slightly higher plane than the remaining rollers serving as a stop for the container on the said rollers.

2. A truck as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that stop means is provided at one end of the framework, such means including a vertically movable plate at one end of the framework normally held by spring action above the framework and capable of being moved below the framework upon pressure being applied to the plate.

3. A truck as defined in and claimed by claim 1 further characterized in that one of the wheels of the undercarriage at one end thereof is of lesser diameter than the remaining wheels to provide a tilting effect, and means associated with the undercarriage in proximity with such wheel of lesser diameter which is movable into engagement with an underlying supporting surface for the truck to steady the truck horizontally.

4. A truck as defined in and claimed by claim 1 further characterized in that one end of the framework is closed by a guard rail and the opposite end is open to permit containers to be moved thereon.

5. A truck for handling containers having roving deposited therein comprising an undercarriage, caster wheels carried by the undercarriage, a framework consisting of side rails and end members connecting the side rails, a divider rail extending longitudinally of the framework intermediate the side rails connected to the end members, a plurality of rollers journalled between said divider rail and the opposite side rail and extending substantially from one end member to the opposite end member, one of the rollers at one end of the framework being in a higher plane than the other rollers to serve as a stop for the containers, and a vertically movable plate mounted on one of said end members and normally held by spring action above the said end member to constitute a stop means for the containers disposed on said rollers, the plate being movable below the said end member upon pressure being applied thereto to permit the container to be moved from the truck.

6. Apparatus for transporting containers of the character stated, said apparatus comprising in combination a carrier embodying a wheeled undercarriage, an elongate framework supported thereon and comprising longitudinal side walls connected by transverse end walls, a series of rollers rotatably supported in the framework between the longitudinal side walls and spaced apart longitudinally of the framework, a buggy embodying a wheeled undercarriage, an elongate framework on the buggy undercarriage and having longitudinal side walls connected at one end by a transverse end wall, the other end of the buggy framework being open, a series of rollers in the buggy framework and rotatably supported transversely thereof by the side walls, the rollers of the carrier and buggy being at substantially the same elevation with respect to an underlying supporting surface whereby a container may be slid from the carrier framework into the buggy framework through the open end of the latter, a stop member supported on one end wall of the carrier for vertical movement and adapted to be moved to an extended position above the adjacent end wall, spring means urging the stop member to said extended position, cooperating coupling elements carried by said stop member and the buggy framework, the element on the buggy framework being at the open end of the latter, and said elements being positioned on their respective frameworks whereby when the buggy and the carrier are positioned for sliding a container from the carrier framework into the buggy framework the elements may be coupled by movement of the stop member to a retracted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,589,203 Merrifield June 15, 1926 2,199,097 Chappelle Apr. 30, 1940 2,355,931 Walker Aug. 15, 1944 2,379,982 Mitchell July 10, 1945 2,447,559 Bloemers Aug. 24, 1948 2,471,140 Breth May 24, 1949 2,524,664 Henderson et a1. Oct. 3, 1950 2,558,418 Brueckman June 26, 1951 2,573,206 Lee et a1. Oct. 30, 1951 2,720,989 Wormser Oct. 18, 1955 

